Tag Archives: This is Us

Mandy Moore’s house is a testament to the actress/singer’s confidence, warmth, and passion for design. Even in a town as youth-obsessed as Hollywood, a little maturity has its own compensations. Just ask Mandy Moore. The star of the NBC family drama This Is Us rose to fame as a singer in 1999, at the tender age of 15, with her debut single, “Candy.” She played her first starring role on the big screen in A Walk to Remember in 2002. That same year Moore bought a “starter” home, a five-bedroom Mediterranean-style spread in the Los Angeles neighborhood of Los Feliz. “I lived there for 15 years, and even though the house went through several iterations, it never felt wholly mine,” she says. “I bought it when I was 18. I really didn’t know myself, and I never felt secure enough to bring a lot of people there.”

Today Moore is singing an entirely different song. She recently wrapped shooting on the third season of her smash television show. She’s engaged to Taylor Goldsmith of the indie rock band Dawes. And the dazzling home she created for herself, her future husband, and their dogs, Joni (as in Mitchell) and Jackson, is nothing short of a declaration of independence. “This house signifies the next chapter of my life—as an adult, a woman, and a performer. I was able to pour all of who I am into making this place,” she says proudly.

After searching for nearly a year, Moore and Goldsmith found the perfect spot to begin their life together, high atop a Pasadena hill, in a classic 1950s home with sweeping vistas of the San Gabriel mountains and valley. The house was designed by Harold B. Zook, a notable but lesser-known architect who worked with modernist maestro Albert Frey in Palm Springs before hanging his shingle in Pasadena.

Surveying her domain, Moore confesses to having become slightly addicted to the design process. “It still amazes me. We saw the potential of this house and brought it back to life. It’s hard to convey the excitement of working out every detail, from picking slabs at the stone yard to figuring out how many burners we wanted for the stove,” she explains. “Once you realize that you can actually build your true dream house, it’s hard to go back to anything else.”

This Is Us star Mandy Moore is featured in the July 2018 issue of Cosmopolitan Sri Lanka.

From the digital issue:

With the megabit drama This Is Us, Mandy Moore has firmly shed her pop-princess vibe to embrace a bolder, ballsier attitude.

Marriage is a major theme of the show. What was your own parents’ union like?

“They were high school sweethearts married for 30 years. It was hard to imagine one without the other, so their breakup was a tough blow, even when I was in my 20s.”

It is true you met your fiance on Instagram?

“I heard Taylor’s music on iTunes. I saw that his band had a new album coming out, and I posted it on Instagram that it was going to be my record of the summer. He wrote me a thank-you email and said I should come to a concert. We had the most epic three-hour first date.”

Biggest misconception about yourself?

“People assume I’m polite and sometimes that gets mistaken for being weak or a pushover. No way! Also, I’m not short – I’m 5’10”

Mandy on This Is Us: “Before I got the part, I was making massive changes in my personal life and was looking to echo that in my work. I was waiting for something different that would allow me to dig deep. I knew I was capable, but I couldn’t get any momentum, and I had just been crushed by three failed pilot seasons. When I read the script for This Is Us, I told my agent, ‘I will do absolutely anything to be a part of this.'”

How she’d describe her This Is Us co-stars in one word:

Milo Ventimiglia: Boundless (+ just the greatest in every way)

Chrissy Metz: Spectacular (one of the funniest / crazy talented)

Sterling K. Brown: Majestic (brilliant doesn’t even cover it)

Justin Hartley: Magnificent (+ tall + utterly handsome)

On the current climate in Hollywood: “We’re having a real cultural reckoning—one that’s definitely past due. Men have been using their positions of power to take advantage of women, and it’s so prevalent…I can only hope that what’s happening encourages more women [to speak out] and it serves to put women in more powerful positions across the spectrum and in entertainment specifically…as studio heads, directors, writers, and producers. I think it’s going to help women ascend to the top faster.”

On gaining a newfound level of confidence: “It’s a combination of getting older and wiser and going through the hard knocks of a divorce. You realize, I’m not going to take anyone’s shit. It’s emboldened me. There’s power in saying no and in asking for what you deserve. There is power in knowing your value.”

The former child star has had her highs and lows, but right now she’s looking forward to all the things that come with adulting—including kids, career, and newfound confidence.

Mandy Moore has a fresh, bold outlook–and we’re not just talking about her deep-raven strands (courtesy of Garnier, for whome she serves as hair-color ambassador). Fueled by the success of her blockbuster TV show This Is Us, Mandy is embarking on multiple personal breakthroughs that include true love, babies, and serious body pride. The superstar let us in on her evolving transformation.

Body Pride

“When I was 12 or 13, I grew four inches over the summer, and I developed terrible posture because I was taller than all the guys and uncomfortable in my skin. Although I’ve become a lot more comfortable with myself—I’m 5’10” and a size 6—everyone has their self-doubts and insecurities. But as I get older, I’m learning what it takes to love myself fully through exercise, healthy eating, and monitoring my inner voice in an effort to keep it positive. By self-prioritizing, I feel healthier, more centered, and therefore more confident. I’ve come to love my height. Taylor is a bit shorter than I am, but I’ll put on those four-inch heels and be 6’2″!”

Fueling Up

“I’ve always had a healthy relationship with food, and I feel lucky in that regard. But I’ve adopted a greater general awareness of my diet in the last few years. I’ve begun changing what I eat and looking at food as fuel instead of as gratification or a reward. I recently had a blood test that said I had celiac disease, but after a biopsy, they determined I was just gluten intolerant, so I tend not to have it in the house. I am a huge fish fan, though. I could eat some form of salmon just about every day.”

A Final Reflection

“Being a part of this show is my greatest accomplishment. I hope it’s a good, long ride. I feel so humbled by the magnitude of the work that I, along with all these talented actors, am lucky enough to do. It’s the once-in-a-lifetime situation that every actor hopes to find. Playing Rebecca [Mandy’s character on the show] at varying stages of her life, from her 20s to her 60s and every age in between, there’s never a day I show up and think, I’m just gonna coast. There’s always a lot of food for thought.”

The cast of This Is Us is featured in the November 2017 issue of Good Housekeeping South Africa. Milo Ventimiglia, Mandy Moore, Sterling K. Brown, Chrissy Metz, and Justin Hartley are cover stars in the mag’s new issue.

From the digital issue:

With 10 Emmy nominations and 2 wins, This Is Us is the standout TV series of 2017. Moving, real and unafraid to tackle sensitive issues head-on, it’s captured the hearts of viewers around the world.

Milo Ventimiglia: “I think a lot of people peg Jack as the perfect guy. But I think in his imperfections, he is just like all of us. He’s someone we can all relate to.”

Mandy Moore: “Rebecca is a woman who is unsure of her maternal potential, but she ends up thriving in that role. She loves being a wife, she loves being a mother.”

Sterling K. Brown: “Randall is a guy who wears his heart on his sleeve. He loves his family, but he’s also African-American and knows that there are people out there who did not see fit to keep him as a part of their lives.”

Chrissy Metz: “I think a lot of people relate to the characters in the show. Kate is still pushing through and trying to become who she knows she’s supposed to be.”

Justin Hartley: “Kevin was always self-aware of certain things. But now he’s starting to realize how deep that goes, to the point where he’s aware of how other people perceive him.”